Footwear



y 1945 G. w. GEISSMANN 2,377,141

FOOTWEAR Filed Oct. 15, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 XNVENTOR. G/adys w/riicamb6661mm ATTORNEY.

y w. GIEISSMANN 2,377,141

FOOTWEAR Filed 001:. 15, 1940 2 Sheets- Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 67 6/4495'whifcomb 6e/3Jmann BY y -MW.

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 29, 1945 FOOTWEAR Gladys Whitcomb Geissmann, New York, N.Y.,

assignor to Merry Hull & Company, New York,

a co-partnership comprising Gladys Whitcomb Geissmann and Robert GlennGeissmann ApplicationOctober 15, 1940, Serial No. 361,198

10 Cains.

This invention relates to improvements in I footwear and relatesparticularly to improvements in the sole constructions of ladiesfootwear, such as, for example, oxfords, sandals and pumps, which willbe referred to hereinafter, generically, as'shoes.

It has been recognized for many years that the design and constructionof ladies shoes are the cause of foot trouble and of other physicaldisorders. High heels are, in part, responsible for such disorders, forthe reason that shoes must be constructed to offset the structuraldefects introduced by such heels. High heels maintain thefoot' in aposition of constant strain and force the foot forward into the toeportion of the shoes. Inasmuch as toe portions of ladies shoes usuallyare of symmetrical shape, whereas the human foot is not, the toes arecramped or squeezed together thus preventing their free pivotalmovement.

'The free and natural movement of the foot is further restricted by theshank and instep construction of such shoes. It is necessary to providea solid support for high heels in order to prevent them from twistingand breaking oil. The shanksof such shoes, therefore, usually arerigidified by means of a rigid steel strip.

The inclination of the sole tends to causethe foot to slide forwardtoward the toe of the shoe.

This sliding movement is restrained by fitting the'upper of th shoetightly to. the instep portion of the foot. Such a tight fitting instepportion binds the longitudinal arch ofthe foot to the rigid shank of theshoe and thereby prevents normal flexing of the arch. Thus ladies shoestend to restrict the movements of and the changes in the shape of thefoot which normally occur during walking and cramp the muscles,

. tendons and th joints in the foot and cause disorders which affect thenervous and muscular system of the whole body.

Substantially all of these disadvantages of the present types offootwear-could be overcome by shoes which are based, from astructuralstandpoint, upon sound anatomical principles, namely, shoeswhich correspond closely to the natural shape of the foot and permit thebones, muscles and tendons to move naturally.

I have found that when an individual rises upon the toes and stepsforward, as in walking,

the longitudinal arch of th foot curves more sharply and the footbecomes correspondingly shorter than when the weight is distributed overthe entire foot. Obviously, and as pointed out above, if the foot isrestrained against such flexing and shortening, a severe strain upon themuscles and tendons.

In accordance with the present invention, I have provided a shoe soleconstruction having a flexible arch section which aiiords adequatesupport to the longitudinal arch of the foot and a firm support for ahigh heel, if such heels are demanded, but which permits thelongitudinal arch of the foot to flex and the foot to shorten andlengthen normally during walking. Preferably, my flexiblearch-construction is formed of a series of articulated segments whichare capable of limited relative movement providing for a variation incurvature of the arch but which look together to form a firm support forthe foot when the weight is distributed over the foot. Such anarticulated arch may be formed of substantially any desired type ofmaterial such as, for example, leather, metals, wood, glass or plasticsor combinations of these materials.

Inasmuch as the arch portion of the sole is made up of a series ofsections, the heel portion of the shoe can be formed as a unit frommaterials of the type refered to above, thereby eliminating allpossibility. of the heel becoming detached from the sole. Moreover, thisconstruction eliminates the expensive operation of heel seating andthelabor involved in this operasurfaces toreceivea pad of resilientshock absorbing material.

When the arch section of the sole is formed of material other thanleather, the wearing portion oithe sole beneath the toes and the ball ofthe foot may be formed of leather, or other material such as rubbenforexample. Improved comfort is afforded by padding the wear resistingportion of the sole to cushion and ease the shock of walking.

Another feature of my shoe constructions which is advantageous is thatthe upper may be formed as a unit and attached in any desired way to thesole. Preferably, the upper is so constructed that it passes entirelybeneath the instep and ball of the foot without seams to rest or bearagainst the sole of the foot. This construction minimizes the laborrequired to smooth the seams and to flatten and cover the layers ofmaterial which terminate at the edge of the sole.

For a better understanding of the present inis placed of the shoeillustrating a modified form of the arch construction;

Figure 5 is an exploded view in perspective of two of the segments ofthe arch construction of the shoes disclosed in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a side view of one of the segments of the arch section ofthe sole;

Figure '7 is a perspective View of the inner side of another form ofheel and arch construction embodying the invention;

Figure 8 is a view in elevation of opposite side of the sole and heelconstruction disclosed in Fi ure 7;

\ Figure 9 is a side view of the sole construction disclosed in Figures7 and 8, showing the sole in a flexed condition; and

Figure 10 is a side view of a modified form of means for connecting atthe arch segments.

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings illustrate a shoe construction of thetype embodying the invention which, is capable of flexing in the manherin which the normal human foot tends to flex when unrestrained. The shoeconsists of a sole l0, including a wearing tread portion H, disposedbeneath the ball of the foot, an arch portion I2 disposed beneath thelongitudinal arch of the foot and a heel portion 13. Connected to thesole, in a manner hereinafter to be described, is an upper I4 whichcovers the toe and the instep portion of the foot.

Preferably, the'tread portion l l of the shoe sole Ill is formed in planto correspond to the normal shape of the human foot, that is, the inneredge lB-as viewed in Figures 1 and 3 extends substantially parallel tothe axis of the foot. The opposite edge of the tread portion I I iscurved rearwardly to the arch portion I2 from the forwardmost end I! tocorrespond to the line of curvature of the ends of the toes of the foot.

The archportion l2 of the sole consists of a plurality of segments [8,I9, 20, 2| and 22, as illustrated, although a greater or lesser numbermaybe provided, depending upon the length of the shoe and the size ofthe segments. The se ment l8 preferably tapers longitudinally toward thetoe of the shoe and is provided with a V- shaped recess 23 in theforward end thereof for receiving the tapered edge 24 of the tread por--tion H of the sole which may be glued or otherwise secured therein.

As shown, particularly in Figure 2, the segments l9 to 22 inclusive aregenerally of keystone shape in vertical cross section but are providedwith more tapered or more sharply angled lower end portions 25 whichpermit them to rock slightly about the pivot lines 26 so that theirlower ends may be brought together in order to cause the segments l8to22 to take a more sharply curved relationship. The segments Hi to 22are normally retained with their upper edge portions in engagement bymeans of a plurality of tensioned wires 2! which are anchored atopposite ends in the segment [8 and th heel portion l3 although theflexibilityand resiliency of the wires will permit relative movement ofthe seg ments.

The heel portion l3 may, like the segments Hi to 22, be formed ofvarious types of material such as, for example, wood hard rubber,plastics, leather or metal, as may be desired, and preferably is moldedor formed as a unit. The form of heel illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 mayhave a rounded lower surface 28 which forms the continuation of thecurve of the lower surface of the segments [8 to 22 and may have aconcave upper surface 29 for receiving the heel of the foot. The heelportion has an upwardly extend: ing substantially rigid counter 30thereon formed of the same material as the remainder of the heel whichis connected by means of a strap 3| to the upper l4. If desired, a heelcovering may be used instead of the strap 31. The function of thecounter 30 is to prevent the heel from buckling under when the weight isreceived on the heel before the remainder of the foot comes incontact-with the pavement or the earth during walking;

The upper l4 may be, if desired, a sleeve like member suitably shaped tofit closely the ball and instep. The upper l4 preferably has a singleseam 32 along the inner edge thereof in order to avoid the dispositionof this seam beneath the foot. The portion of the upper I4 whichreceives the ball and toes of the feet may be secured to the edges ofthe tread portion II by the seam extending around its outer periphery.It will be understood, of course, that the upper 14 may extend, onlyunder the instep, if desired, but the use of a, sleeve-like upperextending under the instep and the ball of the foot is preferred.

The connection between the remainder of the upperand sole will bedescribed hereinafter, in connection with the description of the shoedisclosed in Figure 4.

The form of the shoe disclosed in Figure 4 is similar to that disclosedin Figures 1 and 2, with the exceptions that a higher heel is providedand a difierent type of segment is used to provide the flexible archconstruction. As shown in Figure 4, the shoe may consist of a heelportion 35, a flexible arch portion 36 and a tread portion 31 togetherwith an upper 38. As shown, particularly in this figure, the treadportion 31 may be formed of a strip of leather having upwardly curvededges which form a cavity 39 for receiving resilient material. Thisresilient material may, as illustrated, consist of a pad 40 of sponge orsoft rubber. If desired, some other resilient or soft padding materialsuch as glass fiber, sponge latex or the like may be used to pad thesole. 7 The upper 38,.a sleeve-like construction similar to thatdisclosed in Figures 1 and 2, is joined by a seam 4| to the edges of thetread portion 3'! and encloses the padding material within the sole.

The rear portion of the upper 38 may be fixed to the heel 35 by means ofa strap 42 on the upper which passes through an aperture 43 in the topsurface 43a of the heel and is secured, as by gluing, to the rigidcounter portion 44 extending upwardly from the heel.

The heel 35 differs from the heel I3 of Figures l and 2 in that it is ofmedium height.

The articulated arch section 36 consists of a generally triangularsegment 45 and a plurality of cooperating segments 46, 41, 48 and 49which are of generally similar construction exceptfor their size and thecurvature of their upper surfaces which will be described presently. Thesegments 46 and 49 have keystone shaped upper end the keystoneshapedportion and on one side thereof are curved and tapered pivotmembers 46b,to 4912 which are received in correspondingly shaped butshallowerrecesses 450 to 480 in the next adjacent segment to the left asviewed in Figure 4. By making these recesses shallower than the pivots,relative rocking movement between the segments is permitted. Relativerocking movement of the segments 45 to 49 is limited by means of thehookshaped. portions 45d to 49d which comeinto engagement when th segmentshave reached the limit of their movement. The recess 49c ofthe segment49 receives a frusto-conical bearing element 35b onthe heel 35 thuspermitting the heel to rock relatively to the segment49. v

The segments 45 to 49 inclusive and the heel 35 may be retained in theirproper relative positions by means of tensioned wires 50 and 50a passingthrough the segments 46 to 49 above and below the pivots 46b to'49b atopposite ends thereof anchored in the segment 45 and the heel 35, asshown in Figure 5. The pivot construction described above preventstwisting of the arch and heel.

The upper surface of 9 thevarious segments forming the arch section ofthe shoe preferably are of such contour as to providean arch supportingconstruction. One of the segments 4%. illustrating the configuration ofthe arch, is disclosed in Figure 6. The segment 48 is provided with anupwardly and outwardly directed inner end portion and a concavely curvedupper surfaceportion 52 inclined between end portion 5| and the narrowend 53 adjacent the outer portion of the foot. The curvature of thesurface -52-is such as to fit closely the corresponding portion of thearch of the human foot. The upper surface portions of the other segments46, 41 and 49 are likewise shaped to form a smoothly curved surfacewhich will accurately and closely fit the bottom portion of the footbeneath the arch. thus affording anatomically correct support for thelongitudinal arch of the foot.

As shown in Figures '7, 8 and 9, a similar flexible arch constructioncan be applied to the sole of a high heel shoe. In thisform of sole, thearch construction 60 may consist of the segments El, 62, 63, 64, 65 and66, the last-mentioned segment being joined to the high heel 61. Thesegments and the heel are connected by the pivot members 62a to Na andthe corresponding sockets Gib to 66b, permitting the arch to flex asshown in Figure 9.

The upper surfaces of the segments 6| to 66 are curved transversely ofthe arch to conform to the curvature of the arch of the foot.

As shown in particular in Figures 7 and 8, the upper surface portion 68of the heel 61 is concavel curved and may receive a pad 69 of aresilient shock absorbing material.

The segments forming the arch construction may be connected in otherways, if desired. For example, as shown in Figure 10. the segments 10, II, I2 and 13 may be joined by means of wire staples 14 which extend intothe adjacent bearing members Hid to 13a. The ends of the staples may befixed firmly in the segments 10 to 13 so that the mid-portion of thestaples must flex to permit separation of the upper end of the segments.

The shoe constructions described above are characterized by a flexiblefoot supporting construction which allows the foot to flex as though thesole were formed of a resilient or flexible material. However, the archis so constructed that heels of any desired height may be usedtherewith. This construction does not bind the foot in a fixed positionduring walking and permits the feet to be exercised and strengthenedduring walking. Such exercise strengthens Weak arches andaffords-adequate support when the foot is at rest. It will be evidentthat there may be many other forms of articulated arches provided whichvary somewhat from the forms of the arches disclosed in the instantapplication without departing from the invention and that the heelshapes and the sole constructions may be modified widely all within theconcept of this invention. Therefore the form of the invention hereindescribed should be considered as illustrative only and not as'limitingthe scope of the following claims.

I claim:

l. A sole construction for'shoes comprising a tread portiorna heelportion, an arch portion interposed between said heel and said treadportions, said arch portion having a predetermined normal longitudinalcurvature corresponding substantially to the curvature of the bottom ofa normal human foot, at least apart of said arch portion being formed ofa plurality of tapered segments, means connecting said segments forrelative pivotal movement about lines spaced from theirupper edges topermit said upper edges to move together to produce said normalcurvature and to separate to produce a sharper than normal curvature andmeans urging said upper edges into engagement and restraining thesegments against movement into positions form ing an arch curvature of alonger radius than the radius of said normal curvature.

2. In a sole construction for shoes, the combination of a tread portion,a heel portion, a

longitudinally curved arch portion of predetermined shape interposedbetween said tread and heel portions, said arch portion comprising aplurality of downwardly tapered segments, means connecting said segmentsfor limited relative rocking movement between normal position in whichthe upper edges of said segments are in engagement and form saidlongitudinally curved arch portion and other positions in which saidupper edges are spaced apart imparting a sharper curvature to said archportion, and means urging said upper edges together to resilientlyretain said segments in said normal position but permitting the upperedges of said segments to separate to impart said sharper curvature tosaid arch portion, the last-named means also resisting any tendency ofsaid segments to move into positions imparting a curvature to said archportion of longer radius than the radius of said normal curvature.

3. In a sole construction for shoes, the comper portions of saidsegments are in engagement and form said upwardly convexly curved archportion and a position in which said upper portions are spaced apartimparting a sharper curvature to said arch portion, and meansresiliently position and resisting movement of said segments topositions imparting to said arch portion a curvature of longer radiusthan imparted by said segments when in said normal position.

4. In a sole construction for shoes, the combination of a tread portion,a heel portion, an arch portion, said arch portion comprising aplurality of articulated tapered segments having transversely concaveand longitudinally convexly curved upper surfaces, together forming anormally curved surface corresponding substantially to the shape of thearch portion of a normal human foot, said segments engaging to form saidnormally curved surface and movable apart at their upper edges to form asharper longitudinal curvature, and means for restraining said segmentsagainst movement into positions in which the segments form a surface oflesser curvature than said normally curved surface.

5. In a sole construction for shoes, the combination of a heel portion,a tread portion, a convexly curved arch portion, said arch portioncomprising a plurality of segments having interfitting portions adjacenttheir lower ends permitting limited relative rocking of said segmentsbetween a position in which the upper portions of said segments are inabutting relationship imparting a normal curvature to said arch portionand a position in which said upper portions are spaced apart imparting asharper curvature to said arch portion and means normally urging theupper ends of said segments into engagement and preventing movement ofsaid segments into positions imparting to said arch portion a lessercurvature than said normal curvature.

6. A shoe comprising a tread portion, an arch portion capable of limitedflexing movement, a heel portion pivotally connected to said arch portion, a toe and instep covering portion connected to said tread portionand said heel portion, a counter substantially rigidly connected to saidheel portion and means connected to said counter and said toe and instepcovering portion for limiting the rocking movement of said heel portionin wardly toward said arch portion.

7. A shoe comprising a tread portion, an arch portion capable of limitedflexing movement, a heel portion connected to said arch portion forlimited rocking movement relatively thereto, a substantially tubularupper having a portion extending continuously across the top of saidtread urging said segments into said first mentioned and arch portionsand secured to said tread portion, and means securing said upper to saidheel portion for resisting relative rocking movement of said heelinwardly toward said arch portion.

8. A shoe comprising a tread portion, an archsupporting portion formedof a plurality of segments connected for limited relative rockingmovement, a heel portion connected to one of said segments, a tubulartoe and/or instep covering portion overlying said tread and archportions, said covering portion being joined to said tread portion andfree from connection with said shank portion, and means for securing thetoe and/ or instep covering portions and the heel portion to the foot.

9. In a sole construction for shoes, the combination of a wearing treadportion, a heel portion and an arch portion, said arch portioncomprising a plurality of downwardly tapered segments each having anupper surface, a lower surface and downwardly converging lateralsurfaces, means connecting said segments for relative pivotal movementabout axes spaced from said upper surfaces, and for urging said lateralsurfaces together to form an arch portion having a normal convexcurvature corresponding to the curvature of the arch of a normal humanfoot, said means also permitting pivotal movement of said taperedsegments about said axes to increase the curvature of said arch portionand preventing flattening of said arch portion to less than said normalcurvature. I

10. In a sole construction for shoes, the combination of a wearing treadportion, a heel portion and an arch portion, said arch portion comprising a plurality of segments each having an upper end, a lower endand lateral surfaces, and means adjacent the lower ends of said segmentspivotally connecting said segments for relative movement into a positionin which said lateral surfaces are in engagement and said segments forma curved arch having an upper surface substantially complemental to thecurvature of the arch of a normal human foot, and into a position inwhich the lateral surfaces and upper ends of said segments are spacedapart and said segments form a curved arch of shorter radius, said meanspivotally connecting said segments also preventing separation of thelower ends of said segments when said lateral surfaces ar in engagement.

GLADYS WHI'I COMB GEISSMANN.

